Sonos has a new thing

[Petrushka]

But only after the event when the reaction was entirely predictable. And they failed to learn from it, because if they had they would have avoided the v2 to v3 transition trouble.

Based on this reporting they were pushing for the launch of the eagerly anticipated new product, which needed v3, and ignoring the engineers actually working on the software who were shouting and screaming in meetings that it wasn't ready for release.

I’m not trying to say they are perfect, or even good. I’m comparing them to Apple and Microsoft, which have bricked 5 year old products.

I am one of the lucky Sonos users who were inconvenienced rather than disabled. I quickly found SonoPad and started promoting it. The only function I’m missing is the ability to create and edit playlists.

I’ve looked and looked for an alternative, but my primary streaming sources are XM and Audible.

 

[kemmler3D]

Interesting drivers, you don't usually see off-center VCs or multiple VCs per cone. Clearly if it works you can get more excursion (bass) out of a smaller package, which is not an overriding concern on this forum, but I can tell you is very important in the small-speaker-focused mainstream consumer world.

 

[Petrushka]

Interesting drivers, you don't usually see off-center VCs or multiple VCs per cone. Clearly if it works you can get more excursion (bass) out of a smaller package, which is not an overriding concern on this forum, but I can tell you is very important in the small-speaker-focused mainstream consumer world.

What I’m about to say will be a bit weird for this forum, but with my age related hearing loss, I find I can still tell bad speakers from good, because most music is in the midrange.

But I find myself preferring speakers that are probably not the most accurate. I am planning to upgrade my TV sound system. Currently I have a Sonos Port and some Polk towers. After trying dozens of used speakers I settled on the because with them,I can follow dialog.

Now to the point: I am very interested in sound bars, because some of them have modes to enhance dialog. But everyone says they suck at music. So I am going to watch the reaction to the new Sonos soundbar, and possibly switch to it if it is tolerable with music.

The alternative is to have a complicated system that uses the soundbar for TV and my Polks for music.

 

[Timcognito]

What I’m about to say will be a bit weird for this forum, but with my age related hearing loss, I find I can still tell bad speakers from good, because most music is in the midrange.

But I find myself preferring speakers that are probably not the most accurate. I am planning to upgrade my TV sound system. Currently I have a Sonos Port and some Polk towers. After trying dozens of used speakers I settled on the because with them,I can follow dialog.

Now to the point: I am very interested in sound bars, because some of them have modes to enhance dialog. But everyone says they suck at music. So I am going to watch the reaction to the new Sonos soundbar, and possibly switch to it if it is tolerable with music.

The alternative is to have a complicated system that uses the soundbar for TV and my Polks for music.

FYI

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[amper42]

Sonos is a compromise for people who either can't afford a real sound system or can't get permission from their wife.
Speakers are a solved technology. A soundbar with a little better fidelity than junk isn't what I'm looking for.

 

[kemmler3D]

Sonos is a compromise for people who either can't afford a real sound system or can't get permission from their wife.
Speakers are a solved technology. A soundbar with a little better fidelity than junk isn't what I'm looking for.

I think Sonos is a compromise in some ways, but the measurements don't support such a negative statement about the quality. The upper range of Sonos gear (the 5s) measure surprisingly well. And the convenience factor is high.

I've heard one of their better soundbars and I can't sit here and tell you it's junk or junk-adjacent. They get a lot of performance out of those little boxes.

 

[Laagman]

Sonos is a compromise for people who either can't afford a real sound system or can't get permission from their wife.
Speakers are a solved technology. A soundbar with a little better fidelity than junk isn't what I'm looking for.

I don’t know. All my neighbours got them. Its popular in the mainstream audio market, because they promise good sound and they dont take up that much space. Average consumers don’t research that much, they go to an electronic store and maybe ask the employee a few questions.

 

[amper42]

I don’t know. All my neighbours got them. Its popular in the mainstream audio market, because they promise good sound and they dont take up that much space. Average consumers don’t research that much, they go to an electronic store and maybe ask the employee a few questions.

Yes, Best Buy type stores is where people find out about Sonos along with a TV Purchase. It's a convenience item they like to use for increasing sales along with wall mount hardware for your TV. But if you have a great audio system would you even consider such a toy? I wouldn't, just like I would never buy one of Apple's stupid speakers either. They are toys in comparison to a pair of Revel Towers.

 

[kemmler3D]

They are toys in comparison to a pair of Revel Towers.

Well, a Honda Civic is a toy compared to a Maserati too, but I don't think that really proves anything.

In terms of bang for buck a Sonos speaker might actually do better than the Revel. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sonos-five-smart-speaker-review.51409/

I don't have Sonos speakers and don't plan to buy any, but over the years I have come to respect their engineering within the scope they choose to operate in, and I don't look down on them as mere convenience items simply because they happen to be mainstream.

 

[Timcognito]

View attachment 399555View attachment 399556

Well, a Honda Civic is a toy compared to a Maserati too, but I don't think that really proves anything.

In terms of bang for buck a Sonos speaker might actually do better than the Revel. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sonos-five-smart-speaker-review.51409/

I don't have Sonos speakers and don't plan to buy any, but over the years I have come to respect their engineering within the scope they choose to operate in, and I don't look down on them as mere convenience items simply because they happen to be mainstream.

Well it seems like pretty fun toy for $32k read or watch if you're in the market for a new car.

The 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback Offers An Interesting (And Frustrating) Choice: First Drive

The 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback has finally landed promising power and efficiency, but is it really the best of all worlds?

tflcar.com

 

[Pearljam5000]

 

[CapMan]

Sonos should focus on making sure their legacy products and app are fit for purpose. My local library still won't index where other apps (HEOS, Roon) have no problems. Happy I have Roon to run my Sonos speakers as it is better than the native app.

The app update this year was a case study in corporate incompetence.

 

[Pretorious]

Sooner or later those of us on ASR will have to admit that the mainstream audio experience has come a long way and is now worthy of a consideration. It's no longer the case that you can walk into a generic big box store and buy junk equipment that sounds like junk also. It's quite the opposite. An average consumer can walk into a store and be (unknowingly) assured that the quality of sound they're getting is actually very close to the ideal.

Some of the higher end models from Sonos, Bose, Samsung, etc. are extremely well designed and engineered, providing accurate and pleasing sound. I will beat this horse till it is dead, but I take hi-fi literally. It means what it means: fidelity to a source. And even a good amount of Bluetooth speakers are capable of a ~90% fidelity. Link them for stereo to get a few more percentage, if we constitute that as part of the package; but even Amir has noted that soundstage/imaging differences can be pleasing from the usual traditional stereo fair.

It feels that sometimes on ASR there are those that, by the way they express themselves, would absolutely fawn over a soundbar or mainstream audio device if it had a Revel logo slapped on the front of it. We shouldn't ignore good engineering at Revel and good engineering at Sonos et al. simply because the ends they achieve are considered different.

I too am waiting reviews and measurements of this new soundbar. I value convenience highly, and anything I have to put less thought into after a long day of doing just that at work, and simply plug in and enjoy I want to know more of.

 

[kemmler3D]

Sooner or later those of us on ASR will have to admit that the mainstream audio experience has come a long way and is now worthy of a consideration. It's no longer the case that you can walk into a generic big box store and buy junk equipment that sounds like junk also. It's quite the opposite. An average consumer can walk into a store and be (unknowingly) assured that the quality of sound they're getting is actually very close to the ideal.

Some of the higher end models from Sonos, Bose, Samsung, etc. are extremely well designed and engineered, providing accurate and pleasing sound. I will beat this horse till it is dead, but I take hi-fi literally. It means what it means: fidelity to a source. And even a good amount of Bluetooth speakers are capable of a ~90% fidelity. Link them for stereo to get a few more percentage, if we constitute that as part of the package; but even Amir has noted that soundstage/imaging differences can be pleasing from the usual traditional stereo fair.

It feels that sometimes on ASR there are those that, by the way they express themselves, would absolutely fawn over a soundbar or mainstream audio device if it had a Revel logo slapped on the front of it. We shouldn't ignore good engineering at Revel and good engineering at Sonos et al. simply because the ends they achieve are considered different.

I too am waiting reviews and measurements of this new soundbar. I value convenience highly, and anything I have to put less thought into after a long day of doing just that at work, and simply plug in and enjoy I want to know more of.

Agree... look at something like the KEF LS60... it's way beyond what the Sonos customer wants to buy, but it's also very much like a Sonos build in many ways. Convenience wins but it is no longer entirely at the total expense of quality.

 

[Timcognito]

Sooner or later those of us on ASR will have to admit that the mainstream audio experience has come a long way and is now worthy of a consideration. It's no longer the case that you can walk into a generic big box store and buy junk equipment that sounds like junk also. It's quite the opposite. An average consumer can walk into a store and be (unknowingly) assured that the quality of sound they're getting is actually very close to the ideal.

Some of the higher end models from Sonos, Bose, Samsung, etc. are extremely well designed and engineered, providing accurate and pleasing sound. I will beat this horse till it is dead, but I take hi-fi literally. It means what it means: fidelity to a source. And even a good amount of Bluetooth speakers are capable of a ~90% fidelity. Link them for stereo to get a few more percentage, if we constitute that as part of the package; but even Amir has noted that soundstage/imaging differences can be pleasing from the usual traditional stereo fair.

It feels that sometimes on ASR there are those that, by the way they express themselves, would absolutely fawn over a soundbar or mainstream audio device if it had a Revel logo slapped on the front of it. We shouldn't ignore good engineering at Revel and good engineering at Sonos et al. simply because the ends they achieve are considered different.

I too am waiting reviews and measurements of this new soundbar. I value convenience highly, and anything I have to put less thought into after a long day of doing just that at work, and simply plug in and enjoy I want to know more of.

Where it is sold has little to do with how it sounds. That is the same refrain here that is similarly applied to expensive gear. This thread is about a new speaker technology that Sonos paid $100 mill for so the measurements better be good. With advances in materials, magnets and DSP speakers are evolving to smaller and better, so like everything else, there is bound to be trickle down consumer benefit. Not to say that a big company can not make big $100 million mistake.

 

[Laagman]

They even got room correction with TruePlay.

 

[CapMan]

I too am waiting reviews and measurements of this new soundbar. I value convenience highly, and anything I have to put less thought into after a long day of doing just that at work, and simply plug in and enjoy I want to know more of.

Don't get me wrong - I love all of my Sonos Play Ones and probably enjoy 80% of my music through them. The quality of playblack is really enjoyable. I just want than to spend time on the app and think about their legacy users who have invested over many years in a Sonos based system. I think they have lost their way on this.

 

[Timcognito]

I think they have lost their way on this.

The same is true with Bluesound. I think updating, curating and integrating the lifetime software with a myriad of streaming services and new technology that many hold as proprietary is big task. You paid for it once when you bought it and there is no charge for updates. I think the same issues put Logitech out of the universal remote control business as some units sold for $70. With some products one is buying the convenience of the app and features as much as the sound.

 

[Laagman]

It’s hard. I remember that Martijn of Dutch & Dutch said somewhere in an interview that integrating streaming services was not as easy as they thought. If you build your company mostly around that, where people don’t switch products that often, I can understand that it’s difficult making profit. But Sonos users buy multiple products and that’s their focus. Full audio ecosystem, thats why they even launched headphones.

 

[jhwalker]

Yes, Best Buy type stores is where people find out about Sonos along with a TV Purchase. It's a convenience item they like to use for increasing sales along with wall mount hardware for your TV. But if you have a great audio system would you even consider such a toy? I wouldn't, just like I would never buy one of Apple's stupid speakers either. They are toys in comparison to a pair of Revel Towers.

Well, I have a full Revel HT in my living room, but Sonos Arc + subwoofer + surrounds in my bedroom, and Sonos stereo pairs both in my office and poolside.

Horses for courses.